Wynonna Judd admits she isn’t ‘connected’ to sister Ashley Judd, ‘taking a break’ from each other

Joey NolfiWed, September 30, 2026 at 1:19 PM UTC

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Ashley Judd, Naomi Judd, Wynonna JuddCredit: Evan Agostini/Getty ImagesKey Points -

Wynonna Judd admitted in a new interview that she isn’t currently close with sister Ashley Judd.

The performer also explained why she sings about having “hate” in her heart for her late mother Naomi Judd.

Naomi died by suicide in 2022.

Country singer-songwriter Wynonna Judd has admitted that she’s no longer “connected” to her famous sister, actress Ashley Judd, amid an ongoing rift four years after the siblings’ mother, country star Naomi Judd, died by suicide in 2022.

Amid the release of her new album The Hard Truth — her first collection of new material in over 10 years — Wynonna, 62, opened up about her “complicated” feelings about the sisters’ late mother. She sings about their up-and-down dynamic on the new album when she croons: “I love you, I need you, I hate you some days.”

“I feel like this is the most honest and vulnerable I’ve ever been,” Wynonna told Entertainment Weekly’s sister publication PEOPLE about her raw takes on her familial feelings. “It’s there for everyone to hear. So there are some days I think, ‘Oh my God, what have I done?’ And then other days I think, ‘There comes a point in your life when you are ready to tell your testimony.’”

Naomi Judd and Wynonna Judd accept Country Hall of Fame honor for late mom Naomi JuddCredit: Wade Payne/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

In addition to singing about her late mother’s decision to keep the identity of Wynonna’s biological father a secret for years, part of that testimony includes reflecting on her relationship with Ashley, her 58-year-old little sister and actress known for roles in Double Jeopardy, Kiss the Girls, and more.

Wynonna told the outlet that her younger sibling hasn’t heard her new album or its candid lyrics about the family (including calling their mother “a mama with no shame”) as she said the pair isn’t “connected” at the moment.

“We’re taking a break, which all families can relate to,” Wynonna explained. “She’s doing her thing, and I’m doing mine.” (EW has reached out to a representative for Ashley for comment.)

Elsewhere on the album, Wynonna also sings about the emotional turmoil she felt amid years of mystery surrounding the identity of her biological father, as well as her reactions to her estranged daughter, 30-year-old Gracey Kelly, who’s currently in a Virginia prison.

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If Naomi were alive, Wynonna says, she thinks she would’ve been even “more determined” to speak her mind on her new material: “It’s my story, and it’s my feelings,” she said.

And yet, “I think it would be very painful for her. Very painful. But I also know that she knows me, that I’m so honest and so up-front,” Wynonna said about her mother.

“When Mom died, I went into a dark hole of just wondering, ‘What the heck now?’ It’s been 10 years since I’ve put out a record,” Wynonna explained of her inspiration to speak her truth on the record.

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Following Naomi’s death in 2022, the Judds performer was honored by CMT with a televised memorial, Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration, which included joint tributes from her daughters.

Listen to Wynonna’s new music in the video above.

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”